All eyes were on Trent Alexander-Arnold at Hard Rock Stadium as he made his Real Madrid debut against Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup. How did he get on?
Trent Alexander-Arnold shocked the world last week at his first press conference as a Real Madrid player when he spoke in fluent Spanish. It’s rare enough for an Englishman to learn a second language, let alone in the record time the former Liverpool man seemed to do so considering he claimed he only made the decision to move to Madrid in March.
Fine, he may have been reading from a teleprompter, but Alexander-Arnold – or just ‘Trent’ as he now wants to be known for ease and definitely not for branding reasons – still made a solid first impression at his new club, with his pronunciation on point.
Would he make an equally good first impression on the pitch on his debut?
Alexander-Arnold – sorry, we can’t bring ourselves to call him ‘Trent’ just yet, maybe in time – was named in Xabi Alonso’s first starting lineup as Real Madrid boss in their FIFA Club World Cup opener against Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
Playing in his familiar role as right-back in a back four, the 26-year-old had a mixed 65 minutes before being replaced by Lucas Vázquez in the 1-1 draw at a sweltering Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
So, naturally, social media concluded that he either had a fantastic showing or that it was the worst debut by anyone in living memory.
We’ve looked at his data to see how good/bad Alexander-Arnold’s first appearance in the famous white kit of Real Madrid was.
He made 56 touches, 51 in open play, and completed 34 of his 38 passes (89.5%), with four of his teammates completing more. Of those 38 passes, 16 were into the final third, with 13 successful (81.3%).
Alexander-Arnold’s famous long passing was on display, with two typically outstanding cross-field balls over to the left finding their target, though another did sail over the head of Vinícius Júnior.
Alexander-Arnold was known for his exceptional creativity from deep when at Liverpool, but he created just one chance on his Madrid debut. In fact, seven of his new teammates had more attacking sequence involvements in the game than his five.
Unsurprisingly, Alexander-Arnold played more passes to Rodrygo ahead of him on Madrid’s right than he did to any other player (nine), with the next most being to Federico Valverde in midfield (six). He seemed reluctant to play it safe too often, only passing to centre-backs Dean Huijsen and Raúl Asencio three times each.
He didn’t take any corners but did attempt more crosses than any other starter for Madrid (five), though Arda Güler equalled that number despite only coming on at half-time. Alexander-Arnold also only completed one of his crosses, compared to Güler’s three.
He didn’t attempt any shots and had just one touch in the opposition box, but he did make 12 final third entries, more than anyone else on the pitch, clearly trying to impose himself on the game by getting the ball into dangerous areas as often as possible.
12 – Trent Alexander-Arnold played more passes into the final third than any other @realmadriden player in his debut against Al Hilal last night. Fluent. #RMAHIL #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/hQnFj6mSmY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 19, 2025Defensively, Alexander-Arnold got plenty of stick from fans and the media for his debut efforts, but what else is new? There has probably never been a player whose defensive performances have been so heavily scrutinised on a weekly basis.
That said, it certainly wasn’t an excellent performance going backwards. Alexander-Arnold did not record an error leading to a shot, but he struggled to keep Al-Hilal left winger Salem Al Dawsari quiet. Simone Inzaghi’s captain seemed to somewhat target the new boy, with 47.5% of their attacking touches in the first half coming down Trent’s side.
The Englishman will have been relieved to see the assistant referee’s flag go up in the 19th minute when a break down his side saw Renan Lodi get free and fire into the Madrid net, with Alexander-Arnold caught out of position, but Lodi’s space may well have been down to the fact the former Atlético Madrid and Nottingham Forest left-back was offside.
Alexander-Arnold competed in five duels, winning just one, but he did win possession three times, with only three Madrid players doing so more often. He did lose possession 12 times, more than anyone else in the game, but that metric must be taken with a pinch of salt as players who attempt as many ambitious passes as Alexander-Arnold will often fall foul of it.
He didn’t make any tackles, but he did make one interception, and it proved to be a pivotal one. Alexander-Arnold stopped a pass down the channel from Al Dawsari before firing the ball into the impressive Gonzalo García, who set off an attack that ended with the 21-year-old converting Rodrygo’s neat pass across the Al-Hilal box to put Real Madrid in front.
In all, it certainly wasn’t the most auspicious of starts, but it also wasn’t the disaster that some seem to have been suggesting.
Given he has signed a six-year deal at the Santiago Bernabéu, Alexander-Arnold will have plenty more opportunities to impress, and even by football’s usual standards, judging him on 65 minutes of a game in a new tournament against Saudi opposition would be quite mad.
Whether Trent sinks or swims in Spain remains to be seen, but he’ll have to get used to the even higher levels of scrutiny than those he experienced with his hometown club in the Premier League.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid Debut: How Did Former Liverpool Man Do vs Al-Hilal? Opta Analyst.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid Debut: How Did Former Liverpool Man Do vs Al-Hilal? )
Also on site :